Day 3 into our family vacation and we found ourselves rather unexpectedly at Christmas, or at least I did! Without the usual buildup around Tufts and the house at home, hanging Christmas lights, decorating my room, finding and decorating a Christmas tree, the holiday sprang up out of nowhere. It was more of a passive experience for me here, with my host family doing the decorations (a lovely tree and colorful flashing lights hung in front of the mirror were some highlights), the plaza turning into a market, lights suspended above the streets and a Christmas tree springing up in the plaza. Understanding that most attractions in Spain would be closed for the holiday, we decided to venture out to a different city to see the sights.

We decided to take the high speed train up to Segovia for the day, a town rich in history and tradition. After stopping for a chocolate croissant in Sol, we took the metro to Chamartin and then began our journey at alta velocidad to the ancient aqueduct that awaited us. The train ride was a brief 30 minutes, but provided us with some stunning views of the mountainous countryside, some of the higher peaks covered in snow. Arriving at the station, we were greeted with empty hillsides of snow, with the mountains we had just traveled beneath rising in the background. I feared we were at some random Segovia station far away from the city center, with only countryside and cows to keep us entertained on Christmas. Luckily, a quick bus ride brought us to the city center and soon we were standing beneath the aqueduct with a few hundred other people. But why the crowd? We had stumbled upon one of the greatest kept secrets of not only Segovia, not only Spain, but of the entire world: La Carrera del Pavo.

Every Christmas, for the last 75 years, the fine people of Segovia have gathered for the bicycle race to end all bicycle races, one in which there is no pedaling. But, Will, how do they race without pedals you may ask. A fine question, a fine question indeed. The cyclists mount their bicycles on the street at the top of the aqueduct then race down the hill, gathering as much speed as possible. At the bottom of the hill they make a turn through the center of the crowd, beneath the nearly 2,000 year old aqueduct, and begin making their way up the hill on the opposite side. The cyclist who makes it the farthest up the hill wins. People of all ages, from young whippersnappers to old fogies, participated in the race with a wide range of bicycles including custom-made peddle-less bikes and a E.T. in a basket. There was even an old man with a bicycle made out of wood!

After watching the turkey race and scoring some free hot chocolate, we headed up to the top of the aqueduct for some photos and then ventured into Plaza Mayor. By now it was time for lunch, so we found restaurant (there were more open than we had expected for Christmas day) and settled in for a traditional Segovian meal: cochinillo de Segovia, or suckling pig. While not normally at the top of my list of foods I would enjoy eating for lunch, I had to try it since it is the specialty of the region. It wasn’t bad, although the hoof sticking up from my plate was a little disconcerting. Dessert consisted of another traditional Segovian dish, this time delicious and visually appealing, of which I most unfortunately forgot the name. To complete the Segovian dining experience, we partook in a bottle of red wine from Segovia throughout the meal.

With full stomachs we headed to the cathedral and walked around the spacious interior. Next up was the Alcazar, which we could view from the outside. I had been to both of these sites with the study abroad program earlier in the fall, but it was fun to be back again and be able to share some of what I had learned about them with my parents. It was at this point that my dad realized he had lost his train ticket, so we took the next bus back to the train station in case it would be difficult to resolve the issue. We had some entertainment on the way thanks to some boisterous Americans singing “The Wheels on the Bus” next to us.

Luckily someone had found my dad’s ticket at the station and turned it in, so we were able to relax in peace for the next two hours at the strain station. I slept for a bit at the table (as did the boisterous Americans a table over). The train ride home was dark and uneventful except for my encounters with a certain Italian woman. It all began as we put our bags into the xray machine at the station. She was standing behind me and as I put my bag in the scanner, she threw hers on top of it. I didn’t understand why she had to put hers on top of my bag instead of behind it on the belt, as is the usual procedure in xray machines, but maybe she missed her target or they do it differently in Italy. On the other side of the machine however, our bags fully scanned, she attempts to maneuver ahead of me and recover her bag before mine (at this point hers had slipped off of mine and was behind mine). This resulted in our bags getting tangled, at which point she glared at me and yanked hers until they separated. I thought our strange encounter was over until I happened upon her once more on my search for a vending machine onboard the train. Strolling down the center aisle, I was interrupted by the rearend of a woman backing out of one of the seats. As she turned to face me, I was greeted once more by the glare of my Italian friend. I felt closer to her than ever before.

Back in Madrid, we took a brief siesta and then headed down past Plaza Mayor for some delicious tapas. We found a great little restaurant that served the best croquetas I’ve had in Spain, as well as delicious empanadas, brochetas, y huevos estrellados. We ended with a fantastic tiramisu. The restaurant was a little fancier than your typical tapas bar, but the ambiance wasn’t lost one bit. Our second Christmas meal was as much of a success, if not more so, than our first and we headed back to the hotel as happy as could be. Content and ready to relax before bed, we put on Love Actually (best movie ever for those of you who will be seeing it for the first time in the future) and spent a relaxing Christmas evening in the hotel. While quite different from our traditional Christmas day at home, this was a fantastic one I won’t be forgetting any time soon.

Study abroad has come to an end, and while I’ll continue to post entries I’d started over the last two months but never finished, I’m now onto the next adventure and want to keep up with the blog. My parents came to visit me in Spain yesterday and we’re spending Christmas here, New Year’s in Paris, and then a few days in Vienna. Extremely excited for the trip and want to remember it, so I figure I can write and update when they go to sleep and I feel the urge to be a bit of a night owl.

Yesterday began with my half-asleep self apparently deciding to turn off the silly alarm that was annoyingly trying to wake me up to catch the 7am bus to the airport. When my less than half-asleep realized this after missing a call from a friend at 6:30, he was not very happy. Luckily, we both got ready in time and made it to the bus and airport with plenty of time. The plan was to wait at the airport and meet my parents who would be arriving within a few hours from Boston via London. Basi, one of the amazing guys who worked with the program, drove all the way out to the airport to see everyone off. When everyone flying home went through security, he kept me company for a while as I waited for the flight from London to arrive.

Little did I know that the original flight from Boston had been delayed due to icing and my parents had not been able to make their second flight. I waited expectantly for nearly two hours by the arrival gate. Love Actually forgets to show this part of the airport reunion process. Luckily I was able to check my email when someone left an internet kiosk with time to spare, and discovered that my parents would not be arriving until 10 in the evening, nearly 11 hours after their original time. Dejected, I headed back into Madrid via metro, luggage and all.

Checked into the hotel and checked out of consciousness with an afternoon long siesta. Made up for the lack of sleep from the last week in Spain of final projects, exams and fiesta. Took some pictures around Sol as it was filled with people. Headed back to the airport and met Mom and Dad after another hour delay. Left our bags at the hotel and got some early churros at Chocolatería San Gínés and did some catching up.

Waking up this morning was difficult, but by 12 we made it out of the hotel and into the beautiful Christmas market at Plaza Mayor. While not filled with gifts to buy, the market is truly a Christmas market, containing all the necessities of the traditional Spanish Christmas: pieces for the nativity (belén), ornaments and decorations, Christmas trees and, of course, crazy colorful wigs. After shoving my way into La Mallorquina for three napolitanas de chocoalte, we boarded the MadridVision tourbus for some sightseeing. Fun to see the sights of Madrid as a tourist as I hadn’t done that while living here. We hopped off at the Prado for some art viewing and managed to get in a fair amount before being asked to leave as it was closing early for La Noche Buena. I’d forgotten it was Christmas Eve!

For lunch I introduced my parents to the kebap, the delicious persian dish seen throughout Spain. We then completed the bus tour and explored the Mercado de San Miguel, a very cool indoor market near Plaza Mayor. The Market was in full swing with tourists and families wandering about, eating, drinking and being merry. Some stalls were closed, but the rest made up for it, selling seafood, chocolate, wine and all sorts of foods. Taking a long cut back to the hotel, we wandered through Opera and the area around Sol.

After a brief siesta we decided to get some tapas for dinner. We didn’t realize how empty the streets would be for Christmas Eve and soon found ourselves at an abandoned La Latina metro stop not knowing what direction to go in. Clearly the best plan of action was to follow the Italian family that left the metro station before us. Our guides led us to a beautifully lit church but then decided to head down a side street behind the church and so, fearing they might sneakily lead us into a mass somewhere, we abandoned them and continued down the main road. Soon we reached a destination quite far from the one intended and ended up with another scenic long cut by the Palacio Real and up Calle Mayor.

With still no open restaurants in sight we headed back to Sol where I asked a pleasant city worker where there might be a fine dining establishment open for us. Hoy? Es Noche Vieja! Apparently there were none. But if there’s anything I’ve learned from studying in Spain, you can always count on the chinos to save you. Rephrasing my question, I asked for restaurantes asiáticos and he was able to send us in the correct direction. Mom saw some signs which we followed and we soon found a restaurant. A brief wait and we had a table. The host reminded us how lucky we were saying that every restaurant in the city was closed, except the chinos. The food was delicious and we made headed back home full of tasty food and Christmas spirit. Had a quick photo shoot (see below) then headed in for the night. Currently my plan is working as my parents are asleep and I am finishing up the first blog post while listening to some Christmas tunes. Tomorrow the plan is to head to Segovia and see what we can find to do on Christmas day. Merry Christmas everyone! Feliz Navidad!

I had one of my scariest experiences here two weekends ago. I opened Chrome to check the weather and saw that the forecast for the entire week was chilly and rainy. I was thoroughly depressed until I realized that my weather widget was still set to Medford, MA and that this horrific forecast wasn’t going to affect me here. Thank God. The weather has simply been incredible over the last month and a half. We arrived in the throes of a dying summer with temperatures in the upper 20’s, low 30’s (80-90 ºF). These days were a little painful at first, but within the first two weeks the temperature dropped to a comfortable mid 20’s range with bright sun greeting us nearly every day. There have been a few days of rain here, but for the most part the weather has been kinder than I could’ve hoped. Now in ides of October (November by the time of uploading!), we’re heading into autumn and in the last two weeks there has been a noticeable drop in temperatures and a familiar briskness in the air. The days are still warm, while the nights descend into the teens.

At home in New England this change in season brings with it some pretty fantastic things. As the temperatures drop and the winds begin to blow, the bushy green trees begin to blush in the crisp fall air, turning from the verdant green of summer to vibrant reds, yellows, and oranges of autumn. Apples grow ripe in the orchards waiting to be picked and enjoyed immediately or in a myriad of delicious dishes like apple pie, apple cider, and apple cider doughnuts. Clearly I’m a little nostalgic.

While I miss the seasonal customs I’ve had throughout my life, autumn in Spain brings its own set of customs, celebrations, and fiestas. In Alcalá the beginning of October is marked by the Semana Cervantina, a weeklong festival honoring Miguel de Cervantes, the famous Spanish author born here. While there are events throughout the entire week, the main event is the Mercado de el Quixote. My host-mother had told me about this amazing festival back in September and we made sure to come back from Barcelona on Sunday, leaving Monday completely free to explore the market. On my walk to the taxi to the airport early Friday morning I saw the merchants setting up beneath the tents and banner of the medieval fair and couldn’t wait to be back in Alcalá to take part.

On the walk home from the train station on Sunday I took the chance to make my way down Calle Mayor and explore the market a bit. The streets were lined with tented shop stands attended by vendors in Renaissance and Middle Ages era clothing and completely filled with people. On my way home I passed crepe shops, cheese vendors, bakers, artisans and everything in-between. A little tired from the trip to Barcelona and overwhelmed by the amount of people, I headed home and returned to tackle the market after a good night’s sleep.

The mercado is one of the coolest experiences I’ve had here in Spain. During the festival, Alcalá de Henares becomes the center of Spain. People from all over the country, and the world, descend upon the city to see this annual festival. A little over to month into the semester and I was now at home in a city of tourists. The streets were filled with people so that one could barely move through the crowd. Walking in the wrong direction on Calle Mayor felt like trying to swim up river. There were stands for food, from warm crepes, to tea, to chocolate and pastries, and even pickles. Some areas had street-side restaurants and bars , where people would order drinks and have dinner or some tapas. We even found a little stall to take chupitos out of cuernos!

The majority of the venders were selling different types of crafts and art. I came out of the market with some Christmas gifts for my family and a quill pen for myself! I can see why the market lasts all weekend, as the two days I had wasn’t nearly enough to take in everything I would’ve liked. Street markets are very typical in Spain, with one occuring in Alcalá every Monday and many more in Madrid throughout the week, but few are presented with such flair and pomp as the Mercado de el Quixote. While standing in line for a chocolate crepe, I heard the sound of a marching band in the distance. Soon they were upon us and we were presented with the spectacle of a brigade of trumpets and flag throwers performing in traditional costumes. They marched around the plaza and down Calle Mayor, doing so throughout the day. Other small groups of what I assumed to be of a less official nature also filled the streets with music and dance.

In addition to the merchants and musicians, a few artisans settled in the plaza for the weekend to exhibit their craft. A blacksmith had set up shop and was demonstrating how to create things out of iron, while sculptors were creating a kiln. Across the plaza glass blowers were creating beautiful glass horses and a cooper was making barrels. People filled the plaza, moving from demonstration to stration, enjoying seeing these masters of their crafts.

The Semana Cervantina was a great local fiesta that made me appreciate being in Alcalá even more. I wouldn’t be able to find this local experience in a bigger city or another smaller city without the same rich cultural history of Alcalá. Wading through the masses of people I saw friends that I’d met here and ran into one of the program directors hanging out with his friends at a mojito bar. Great end to such a full weekend!